After featuring for just 297 minutes all season, a Liverpool player could be set for an uncommon start with two Reds teammates absent from training.

Liverpool could hand Wataru Endo a rare start in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Qarabag after two key defenders were missing from training.

Arne Slot’s options at the back are already stretched following Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury, and the situation worsened last week when Ibrahima Konate was granted compassionate leave after the passing of his father. Matters were compounded during Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, when Joe Gomez was forced off after colliding with Alisson Becker, leaving Slot with little choice but to deploy Endo as an emergency centre-back.

Gomez and Konate miss training

Providing an update from Kirkby on Tuesday, The Times’ Paul Joyce reported via X that neither Gomez nor Konate took part in the session at the AXA Training Centre. Gomez is struggling with a hip issue, while Konate has yet to return from compassionate leave.

Endo in contention for makeshift role

First and foremost, thoughts remain with Konate and his family during this difficult period, and his return will come when he feels ready.

If both he and Gomez are unavailable for the Qarabag fixture, Endo could again be called upon to fill in at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk. That scenario has been made more likely by a hamstring injury to academy defender Wellity Lucky just days before the game.

The 32-year-old has played a limited role this season, clocking up only 297 minutes across all competitions — mostly in rotated Carabao Cup line-ups — and he is yet to appear in the Champions League.

While using a midfielder in central defence is far from ideal, Slot must carefully manage his resources with a crucial Premier League meeting against Newcastle looming three days later. Liverpool still require a win against Qarabag to secure automatic progression to the last 16, but dropped points in Europe would be less damaging than risking Gomez’s fitness ahead of Saturday’s league encounter.

With that in mind, Slot may opt for caution, especially if Gomez’s absence from training is a concern, and hold him back for the weekend rather than taking a gamble on Wednesday night.